Samantha becomes fifth English springer to win prized Westminster best-in-show

Unpretentious, yet brimming with pride, an engaging 5 1/2-year-old gal named Samantha saved her best for last and in the process placed her pawprint in doggie lore this month in New York City.

Champion Salilyn 'N Erin's Shameless, a 42-pound English springer spaniel, became the fourth member (one was a two-time winner) of her breed to capture the Westminster Kennel Club best-in-show title in New York's Madison Square Garden, prompting handler Kellie Fitzgerald of Troy, Mich., to exclaim, "This dog just doesn't take no for an answer."

By that, Fitzgerald meant Sam heads into the ring each time thinking she has the stuff of which champions are made. Incumbent in that demeanor are an attitude and movement that say to the judge, "If you don't pick me, you're making a big mistake."

Well, I'm here to tell you: The judges got the message.

At this point, it probably wouldn't be a very good idea to tell Sam she'll never get her face on a Wheaties box, either.

You can subtitle the unflappable Sam's story "All in the Family." Her father, Robert (Champion Salilyn's Condor), took the coveted top prize at Madison Square Garden in 1993, only weeks after owner Dr. Fred Gasow, a veterinarian, died.

Sam's triumph was dedicated to Julia Gasow, Fred's widow, who died last April at age 94. She had been involved in English springer spaniel breeding 63 years and co-owned Sam with Carl Blaine, a Sacramento attorney, and Fran Sunseri.

"They are all family," emphasizes Fitzgerald, longtime Salilyn kennel manager as well as Sam's handler. "Julia and Fred were like a mom and dad for me. And when she passed away last year, Carl and Fran have been there when I needed an emotional lift."

Sam, like her father, is a superb legacy to the Gasows' commitment to this breed, explains Fitzgerald. "She is my soul mate." For 2 1/2 years, the pair has criss-crossed the country in search of points and a Top Ten spot in the American Kennel Club rankings. Last year they finished fourth, winning 30 bests-in-show and 97 sporting-group titles.

All year, Fitzgerald and Sam found themselves in a shootout with another top contender, Champion Sweethearts Space Jam (Jordan), a cocker spaniel owned by Linda Gruskin of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and S.M. Morris of New Smyrna Beach, Fla., and handler Linda Pitts of Knoxville, Tenn. The cocker was fifth in the final standings, taking 39 BIS and 113 group wins. Sam edged Jordan in the standings 70,447-65,918 points, but going into December, Sam had a mere 115-point lead.

How close is close? We'll never know, but sporting-group judge Michele Billings, said, "It was a dead heat between the black cocker and the springer until the last go-around.

"They were both in prime condition. But the springer, for her breed, had a slightly better head, and when you say that, you've said it all.

"In the end, the springer just couldn't be denied."

Chet Collier, best-in-show judge and president of the host club, took 16 minutes to thoroughly peruse and choreograph the well-balanced Select Seven field before making his decision.

"She's perfection to the standard," he said. "You saw her line and her energy. She stepped out from the start and there was just no stopping her. She told me she wanted it. And she got it."

Like Billings, Collier didn't make up his mind until he sent the field around the ring one final time. "She really stood out at that point and left no doubt in my mind. That's the way a judge likes it."

While Samantha was a good, solid choice, she was neither a clear-cut favorite going in nor was she the popular crowd choice.

The 1998 and '99 AKC points titlist, Champion Lake Cove That's My Boy (Treson), a sturdy, well-sculpted standard poodle handled to perfection by Dennis McCoy of Apex, N.C., left an impeccable paper trail few dogs in history could match.

McCoy and 4 1/2-year-old Treson won the Westminster nonsporting group title for the third consecutive year, a rare feat, and only gravy on Treson's already impressive resume, which reads: 169 bests-in-show, the fourth highest of any dog in history, 345 nonsporting group titles and No. 1 winning poodle of all time.

"I'm not disappointed," said McCoy, who retired as a handler and will be moving into a judging career. "I loved the springer. It's a great feeling to win here. I've been there (1991). Treson gave everything he had and that's all I could ask.

"Going into this show, I was a little uncertain how he would do, since he hadn't been shown in about two months." Long layoffs or a break in routine - Treson was campaigned almost every weekend last year - can affect some dogs' psyches.

"We had absolutely no reason to show him before Westminster," McCoy said. "All along, Westminster was to be his retirement party, so we weren't making any kind of run on points."

But Treson didn't disappoint. "He was raring to go in breed, group and best-in-show," said McCoy. "He never missed a beat and gave me everything he had."

The big crowd quickly let Collier know its favorite - the basset hound Champion Moonbeam's Astronomer (Astro), a plodding hybrid of whimsy and flair.

The 6-year-old pulled off an "Astronomical" upset in the hound group over Champion Sundown Alabaster Treasure JC, a gorgeous Saluki, owned, handled and bred by Karen Black of San Andreas, Calif.

During best-in-show, Astro drew loud applause every time handler Andy Leque ushered it around the carpet.

But Collier was not swayed by the noise. "Sure, you hear it (the noise)," he explained, "but this isn't a popularity contest. You have to tune it out and stay focused. At this level, every dog out there is a superb representation of its breed."

Astro, a virtual unknown, arrived in New York five days before the show, after a nine-hour plane ride from Buenos Aires with owner Maria Elisa Martinez and Leque. The dog has lived in Argentina for four years after an earlier show career in the U.S.

The hound group figured to be a classic battle to the finish between Treasure, the Saluki, and Champion Tryst of Grandeur (Tryst), an elegant black Afghan handled by flashy Michael Canalizo of Mill Neck, N.Y. Tryst, the top-winning Afghan in history, was ninth in last year's AKC standings, closely followed by Treasure in 10th. Tryst, however, failed to win the breed title and her anticipated meeting with Treasure never materialized.

Izzy (Champion Xandali Isabeau of Boanne) upset Tryst in the breed ring for the second consecutive year. For six months, Anne Evans, one of Izzy's owners, worked on persuading handler Bobbi Kinley-Blewett of Cleveland to enter Izzy at the Garden.

"She kept saying you can't win if you don't enter," said Kinley-Blewett. "There are many who thought Tryst was a lock here. In fact, the crowd cheered Michael and Tryst so much that I wondered, `Do I have to beat all of New York, too?' "

The remainder of the BIS field was a mixed bag.

There was Rio (Champion Ravenswood Southern Cross), the sleek, 13-month-old Doberman pinscher, a baby among veterans in the working-dog group.

Rio, gaited by Diego Garcia of Buenos Aires, oozes with potential and exudes exciting promise. Judge Dorothy Collier of Norwood, N.J. (the best-in-show judge's wife) summed up Rio's performance, "He's as good as any Doberman you're gonna see in a long time. He was an easy first. None of the others I pulled could have beaten the Doberman."

The 2-year-old terrier-group representative, Champion Willow Wind Tenure (Ten), a Bedlington with 13 BIS credits, was not an upset winner. He didn't appear to be in serious consideration for BIS, although he and handler Taffe McFadden of Acampo, Calif., put on a solid workmanlike exhibition.

"He's the best Bedlington I've ever seen," said veteran judge Walter Goodman of Miami. "He looked impeccable. He was lively, had a smooth gait and quite frankly, was very pretty. And he had that terrier attitude."

The toy group sent one of the pre-show favorites, Champion Charing Cross Ragtime Cowboy (Joey), an independent Shih Tzu with 30 BIS, to the final. Handled by Luke Ehricht, of Monclova, Ohio, Joey swept across the floor in total control in the group final but found himself in tougher competition at the Select Seven level.

"He can be a pretty arrogant little guy at times," Ehricht conceded. "When I tried to give him a kiss after the group win he just turned his head away as if to say, `We have more work to do first, then maybe I'll consider that kiss.' "

The herding-group winner Champion Coventry Queue (BeBe), a 2 1/2-year-old Pembroke Welsh corgi, handled by Michael Scott of Childs, Md., had less than 10 minutes to enjoy the win before returning to the ring for the grand finale.

"The quick turnaround can be tough on some dogs," said Scott, "but BeBe's a pretty resilient girl." Ranked 13th in the 1999 standings, BeBe earned 21 BIS and 59 group victories last year.

Mrs. James Edward Clark of Greenwood, Del., said, "The corgi bitch never made a mistake. She had that pick-me-or-else attitude and was a great representative of the breed standard."

Three area dogs took best-of-breed titles; Carley Simpson of Snohomish placed third in the prestigious junior-handler competition.

Best-of-breed winners:

Komondor - Champion Lajosmegyi The Postman, owned by Anna Quigley, Pat Turner and Alex Schwarz, Chehalis.

Japanese Chin - Champion Langcroft Stylish Affair, owned by Harold and Marie Langseth, Everett.

Shiba Inu - Champion San Jo Satori My Oh My, owned by Leslie Ann Engen, Ann Lantermann and Frank Sakayeda, Redmond.

Show notes

Two of the Select Seven at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show were owned by Mrs. Alan R. Robson of Glenmoore, Pa. They were Champion Coventry Queue, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi that won the herding group, and Champion Lake Cove That's My Boy, the standard poodle that took the nonsporting title . . . The USA Network ratings averaged 3.9 (2,983,000 homes) over the two nights, a slight improvement over last year, which had a 3.8 (2,828,000 homes) for the six hours of coverage . . . Aren't dog names great? Here are three, in particular, that had media members chuckling: Champion Flatford Zeus The Major God, a Flatcoated Retriever; Champion Goodspice Pass the Pepper, a Sealyham terrier; Champion Hooters Mrs. Snugglepuss, an Otterhound . . . The No. 2 show dog in the nation last year, Champion Skansen's Tristan II (Tristan), a 4-year-old Giant Schnauzer handled by Bill McFadden of Acampo, Calif., never made it into the ring at Madison Square Garden. Tristan came down with an acute case of pyometra (a life-threatening infection of the uterus) the night before she was to be exhibited and was rushed to an emergency veterinary hospital for treatment. She eventually recovered.

Dennis McCoy and Randy Garren of Apex, N.C., co-handlers of Champion Lake Cove That's My Boy, retired as handlers at Westminster and will embark on judging careers . . Nicholas Urbanek of Glenshaw, Pa., winner of the junior-handling competition with Wilson, a pointer, enjoyed quite a year. He won the same title at the prestigious Crufts Dog Show in England last year with a Pointer and a Pomeranian. Because of that country's strict quarantine laws, both dogs were English-owned.

The last time a dog won back-to-back victories at Westminster was 1971 and '72, when Champion Chinoe's Adamant James, also a springer, repeated . . . Julia Gasow became only the fifth owner to win best-in-show at Westminster with different dogs . . . The wire fox terrier has the most best-in-show wins with 13, followed by the Scottish terrier's 7 . . Best-in-show has been awarded 93 times at Westminster; the terrier group is the runaway leader with the most wins at 42, followed by the sporting group with 16 . . . In the last 25 years, only eight BIS awards have been won by bitches . . . The hound group has gone the longest without winning BIS at Westminster - 17 years; the last hound winner was Champion Kabiks the Challenger, an Afghan hound that was owned, handled and bred by Chris Terrell of Anacortes. Oops

In my Westminster preview story Feb. 13, I noted that Champion Kerrageen's Hotspur, which missed winning the 1991 Westminster best-in-show championship by a whisker, was a Lakeland terrier. Handled by Californian Bill McFadden (Taffe's husband), Hotspur was a Kerry blue terrier. The title that year went to Champion Whisperwind on a Carousel, a standard poodle gaited by Dennis McCoy, Treson's handler.

The miscue was caught by Catherine Lampman of Seattle, in whose home resides one of Hotspur's granddaughters - her fourth Kerry that "owns us and 30 piano pupils she escorts in and out the front door each week."